Aviation Officials Searching for Clues of Passenger Jet Crash in China

Aviation officials at a relatively new airport in northeast China searched through debris Wednesday for clues to why a passenger jet crashed and burned while trying to land on a fog-shrouded runway, killing 42 people and injuring 54 others.

Photo: Aviation Officials Searching for Clues of Passenger Jet Crash in China

The Henan Airlines plane with 91 passengers and five crew crashed late Tuesday in a grassy area near the Lindu airport on the outskirts of Yichun. Five of those onboard were children, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said, and at least one, an 8-year-old boy, survived, The Associated Press informs.

China ’s state media reported that the aircraft’s “black box” flight data recorder had been recovered and that Embraer, the Brazilian manufacturer who sold five newly build E-190s to Henan Airlines in 2008, had sent a technical team to assist in the inquiry.

The pilot of the aircraft, named as Qi Quanjun, was among the survivors but suffered serious facial injuries and was currently unable to speak, according to doctors, Telegraph says.